Kitchen: Finished (for now)!

Commenters kickymarcia and Naz reminded me that I never posted the finished kitchen photos. I guess I was so tickled about it being featured in La Dolce Vita, I completely forgot to post them here. Never one to look a gift post in the mouth, here you go!

Lets start off with a refresher of what this space looked like when we purchased the house in 2007.It was originally a small bedroom. We blew out the wall to make a joint kitchen/dining room space.

A little under 2 months into the renovation got underway (after new electrical, plumbing, windows, etc..), this is what the space looked like.Because of various damage and a fairly thick wall that wasn't there anymore, the existing floors didn't work. Instead of trying to match the parquet in the dining room (which rarely works in my opinion) we decided to differentiate the space with a floor in a different pattern in an extension of the hallway plank flooring. It was NOT EASY to get this done - required loads of back and forth to make sure the right depth of wood was used so the transitions were seamless. But in the end, I just love how it turned out.

After plenty of lead time, the cabinets finally arrived and the lighting got installed.

Our kitchen is currently a walk-through from hall to back door. We're starting to perk on reno ideas. Do we move the back door, make the island a peninsula, keep the island, loose the island, make the island bigger.... you get the idea.

Your kitchen is stunningly gorgeous! Everything you did is preciously perfect, Makes me wonder why you haven’t transitioned into the world of interior designer. From your ideas to your end results, you have a real talent for this.

Did I mention that I’m green with envy over most everything you do? ;) Oh, and that faucet makes me drool.

I LOVE your kitchen, and the floor is just beautiful. We're looking at a kitchen remodel in few years, and I'm going to steal a lot of your ideas. By the way, I love the pop of color from the stools - they look fantastic!

Absolutely great!! The floor was worth the heartache it is the best feature. What is going on with the air duct grill? Did you take it down or paint it black? It is one of those horrible "what should I do to make it look better things" so I look at everybody's to see if they have a better idea. MB

OMG! I'm in LOVE with the kitchen! I want to move in there... like right now. It's beautiful... I'm so jealous and now have no desire to go home to my kitchen (sad face). I'm keeping these pics on file so I can hopefully copy the light and classic feeling some day. LOVE IT!!!!

I'm a first-time reader and commenter (followed you via Paloma!) Your home is absolutely stunning! As someone who has gutted/remodeled a kitchen in an older home, I know the sense of pride you must have at the gorgeous results!

I've probably missed detail info in a previous post, but can you tell me where you found the metal stools, and your oh-so-fab soap bottle? I'm a details junkie!

long time read - first time comment :) I love your kitchen it was featured on a blog somewhere else and it's how I came to be a reader.... the metal stools - love them... however question - what do you have on the feet to keep your wood floors safe? I have a set of metal chairs I would love to have in my kitchen but can't seem to find anything to cover them in order to save my floors.

I have just finished reading about your reno from start to finish after discovering your blog a few weeks ago. Your journey has been such an inspiration. I actually would have finished reading last week but a few of your posts inspired me so much that I started my own projects and haven't read my usual blogs all week. Your kitchen looks fantastic and your writing style is really entertaining. Thank you for sharing. xx

I am still so in love with your kitchen! It shows so much thought put into its design. Love the lit glass upper cabinets, soapstone counters, and especially the bridge faucet. Impeccable tastes! And the pops of turquoise are super fun. :)

Wonderful! Thanks for posting the finished photos. I have been lurking for a while and I came to the site because of the soapstone countertops. I decided to go for them, too (in my Chicago bungalow kitchen rehab). I am so glad I did, and thanks for your writing about the use of soapstone. Your kitchen and your whole house are gorgeous. You really have an eye.

I'm a little behind on your blog, but this kitchen reno is awesome! I love the way you did the top cabinets, such a great and practical idea! most clients I've worked with like glass front cabinets, but know they are not realistically going to be that neat:)

Love this kitchen and am currently building. My kitchen will use similar products - I've always loved soapstone! You have done it perfectly. I love your pendant lights as well. Do you have a source? It's a fantastic look!

love your kitchen! A trick we learned in our latest remodel ... we have the same wall of counter, range, counter, fridge. We made that section of counter 30" deep. It sits on 24" cabinets that are pulled away from the wall & we put 2x4's on the wall to support the counter. It also adds about 6" behind the range. It gives us about 2 sq ft more space, moves the clutter way back, without taking up the counter AND it brings the fridge almost out to counter depth!

I love your kitchen! It is just beautiful. I have a question for you. It looks like you have GE Cafe range and OTR Microwave. Do you have any problems with steam or heat on the micro key pad. We have the same model and it gets very hot and then the keypad dims until it cools down.

Have you ever had to move a radiator? Or downgrade from the original radiator to a more streamlined one? We are considering a kitchen remodel and the radiator in there now is HUGE and right where we need some counters to be. We are going to rip up and re-do the floors and I think that I should do the radiator at the same time.

Your kitchen is beautiful! Now that it has been a few years, how is the soapstone wearing or not wearing? I would love to put soapstone also in our kitchen but am curious of the pros and cons from someone who has soapstone and has lived with it for a few years.Thanks.

Your kitchen is beautiful! I would really like to put soapstone in our kitchen but am curious of the pros and cons from someone's perspective that has soapstone and has lived with it for a while. Thanks!

I LOVE your kitchen! We are currently planning our kitchen/dining room remodel and the layout (and style) is very similar to yours. Would you be able to tell me the dimensions of your kitchen and island? Everything looks so similar to what we are thinking for our remodel and I'm hoping the size is somewhat the same. Also, would you mind telling me where you purchased your cabinets and light fixture over the island? Sorry for so many questions! I've been searching about 1 year for the perfect "inspiration" kitchen and this is the closest I have found!

I LOVE your kitchen! We are currently planning our kitchen/dining room remodel and the layout (and style) is very similar to yours. Would you be able to tell me the dimensions of your kitchen and island? Everything looks so similar to what we are thinking for our remodel and I'm hoping the size is somewhat the same. Also, would you mind telling me where you purchased your cabinets and light fixture over the island? Sorry for so many questions! I've been searching about 1 year for the perfect "inspiration" kitchen and this is the closest I have found!

Hello! I've been reading your blog for years, thanks so much for all the advice and inspiration! I'm getting ready for a renovation, demo starts tomorrow! Soapstone is high on my list of countertop materials, may I ask how yours is holding up 8 years later? Also, who made your kitchen faucet? Thanks so much!